Day 25, Tuesday, August 1, 2006

50 in Fairbanks early this morning but up to 58 by around 8:00 am. Tried the internet before leaving but still no luck. We drove 166 miles to Denali. It has been mostly cloudy so Mount McKinley was not visable. Actually, it is rare that it is. Most visitors to the park never see it. We will stay until we do! The forecast is for rain the next two days as well. The campgrounds in the park were full tonight so we drove 1/2 hour further South to Cantwell and are staying in an R.V. Park. Not much but very friendly owners, good wi-fi access, and great views of mountains - but not McKinley. At the park visitor center today we were able to reserve two nights at a campground just inside the park for Wednesday and Thursday, and three nights 30 miles into the interior starting on Friday.. The only access to the park is by shuttle and seats must be reserved in advance. Our three night campground reservation in the interior gives us a rare opportunity to drive into the park by ourselves - 30 miles further into the park than anyone else can drive and there are only 50 camp sites. We only got in when we did because the season is already starting to wind down here. Off season begins around August 10th. After this post we probably will not have internet access for at least a week so if you are following our journey don't be alarmed. We will update when we are able. Nothing of real picture interest here. Kathy and Bruce - Come On Up!

University of Alaska, Fairbanks - Museum